Fur Rendezvous Festival
Encyclopedia
The Fur Rendezvous Festival (usually called Fur Rendezvous, Fur Rondy, or simply Rondy) is an annual winter festival
held in Anchorage, Alaska
in late February. The self-styled "largest winter festival in North America", Fur Rendezvous is highly anticipated by many Anchorage-area residents as marking the beginning of the end of a long winter and the approach of spring.
s at which fur trappers
would gather to sell their winter harvests. In early Anchorage, these usually took place in mid-February.
In 1935, Anchorage had a population of only about 3,000 and was very isolated, so to bring the community together and lift spirits
, resident Vern Johnson organized a three-day sports tournament, called the Winter Sports Carnival, timed to coincide with the rendezvous, which brought increased activity. As the fur trade
was then the second-largest industry in Alaska, folding it into the event seemed natural, and it was renamed the Winter Sports Tournament and Fur Rendezvous from 1937, and later just Fur Rendezvous.
It was common for miners and trappers to have beards in the early days, so a "law" was even made that all men had to grow beards for this event or suffer a fine! This was considered to be part of the fun, because most men participated in it.
Fur Rendezvous was canceled during the war
years, but resumed in 1946, when the festival began to draw visitors from Outside
, and has been held every year since. Since 1955 the event has been run by the non-profit Greater Anchorage, Inc.
Traditionally Fur Rendezvous lasted ten days, but since 2004 it has extended through early March, in order to lead into the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and draw more visitors. Its importance has declined over the years as Anchorage has grown and become more closely connected to the Lower 48
and the rest of the world, removing some of the need for events like Rondy, but it remains extremely popular.
, hockey
, basketball
, boxing
, and a sled dog race
for children, as well as a bonfire
and torchlight parade
. Modern Rondy has well over 100 events; some of the more significant include:
Many events tend toward the whimsical, such as the Outhouse
Races (in which teams build outhouses and pull them on skis with a rider inside), ice bowling
, or even snowshoe
softball
matches. Others focus on Alaska Native culture, such as the Multi-Tribal Gathering and Native Arts and Crafts Show.
s have been created and sold each year to raise money for the event. These pins have become popular collectibles, and older or rare pins can sell for in excess of $100. The Anchorage University Kiwanis Club sell pins and booster buttons dressed as Keystone Cops for the duration of the festival. During the parade the Keystone Cops playfully detain people, often children, to a mobile jail until pins are purchased in exchange for their release.
Winter carnival
A Winter carnival is an outdoor celebration that occurs in wintertime.Winter carnivals, or festivals, are popular in places where winter is particularly long or severe, such as Scandinavia, Canada and the northern United States...
held in Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
in late February. The self-styled "largest winter festival in North America", Fur Rendezvous is highly anticipated by many Anchorage-area residents as marking the beginning of the end of a long winter and the approach of spring.
History and Origins
The name "Fur Rendezvous" derives from swap meetFlea market
A flea market or swap meet is a type of bazaar where inexpensive or secondhand goods are sold or bartered. It may be indoors, such as in a warehouse or school gymnasium; or it may be outdoors, such as in a field or under a tent...
s at which fur trappers
Trapping (Animal)
Animal trapping, or simply trapping, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, wildlife management, hunting, and pest control...
would gather to sell their winter harvests. In early Anchorage, these usually took place in mid-February.
In 1935, Anchorage had a population of only about 3,000 and was very isolated, so to bring the community together and lift spirits
Seasonal affective disorder
Seasonal affective disorder , also known as winter depression, winter blues, summer depression, summer blues, or seasonal depression, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer, spring or autumn...
, resident Vern Johnson organized a three-day sports tournament, called the Winter Sports Carnival, timed to coincide with the rendezvous, which brought increased activity. As the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
was then the second-largest industry in Alaska, folding it into the event seemed natural, and it was renamed the Winter Sports Tournament and Fur Rendezvous from 1937, and later just Fur Rendezvous.
It was common for miners and trappers to have beards in the early days, so a "law" was even made that all men had to grow beards for this event or suffer a fine! This was considered to be part of the fun, because most men participated in it.
Fur Rendezvous was canceled during the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
years, but resumed in 1946, when the festival began to draw visitors from Outside
Outside (Alaska)
In Alaska, Outside or the Outside refers to any non-Alaska location. Though commonly used by Alaskans to refer to other U.S. states, it may also refer to international locations distant from Alaska, including Canada, Great Britain and Russia...
, and has been held every year since. Since 1955 the event has been run by the non-profit Greater Anchorage, Inc.
Traditionally Fur Rendezvous lasted ten days, but since 2004 it has extended through early March, in order to lead into the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and draw more visitors. Its importance has declined over the years as Anchorage has grown and become more closely connected to the Lower 48
Contiguous United States
The contiguous United States are the 48 U.S. states on the continent of North America that are south of Canada and north of Mexico, plus the District of Columbia....
and the rest of the world, removing some of the need for events like Rondy, but it remains extremely popular.
Events
The original Winter Sports Carnival included skiingSkiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, and a sled dog race
Dogsled racing
Sled dog racing is a winter dog sport most popular in the Arctic regions of the United States, Canada, Russia, and some European countries. It involves the timed competition of teams of sleddogs that pull a sled with the dog driver or musher standing on the runners...
for children, as well as a bonfire
Bonfire
A bonfire is a controlled outdoor fire used for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Celebratory bonfires are typically designed to burn quickly and may be very large...
and torchlight parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
. Modern Rondy has well over 100 events; some of the more significant include:
- Rondy Grand Prix - The Oldest Street Race in the U.S.
- Official Fur Rondy Fur AuctionAuctionAn auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
- the descendant of the original fur trade rendezvous, present since the earliest days. - Miners' and Trappers' Charity Ball and Mr. Fur FaceMr. Fur FaceFur Rondy has been held in Anchorage, Alaska during the late winter since 1950. It is a celebration of the time when trappers would return to the city to gather and share stories, sell their furs and antlers, and to socialize. It also commemorates the start of the Iditarod. One part of Fur Rondy...
beard contest (since 1950) - Beards are grown as long as possible and they are dyed, decorated and shaped for this contest. - World Championship Sled Dog Race (since 1946, with a women's race since 1953) - This three-day, 75-mile sled dog race brings mushers from across Alaska and the world. However, it is often canceled in recent years due to warm weather, with the most recent cancellation being in 2006.
- World Championship Dog Weight Pull (since 1967) - sled dogs attempt to pull the greatest weight
- Miss Fur Rendezvous pageant (from at least late 1950s http://books.google.com/books?um=1&q=%22miss+fur+rendezvous%22&btnG=Search+Books through mid 1970s http://consortiumlibrary.org/archives/CollectionsInv/GtoJ/GAIFURR.wpd.html), also called Miss Fur Rondy
- Snow SculptureSnow sculptureSnow sculpture is a sculpture form comparable to sand sculpture or ice sculpture in that most of it is now practiced outdoors, and often in full view of spectators, thus giving it kinship to performance art in the eyes of some. The materials and the tools differ widely, but often include hand...
Competition - Fur Rondy CarnivalCarnivalCarnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
- Frostbite Footrace - CostumeCostumeThe term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
d competitors run through downtown Anchorage - Rondy Grand Parade
- Running of the Reindeer began 2008.
- Rondy on Ice - figure skatingFigure skatingFigure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
show - World Ice BowlingIce bowlingIce bowling is a variant of traditional 10 pin bowling in that it is played on ice, usually outdoors.- History :Once considered a winter novelty associated with winter festivals throughout the northern United States and Canada, ice bowling is slowly growing into a more established sport in areas...
Championships
Many events tend toward the whimsical, such as the Outhouse
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
Races (in which teams build outhouses and pull them on skis with a rider inside), ice bowling
Ice bowling
Ice bowling is a variant of traditional 10 pin bowling in that it is played on ice, usually outdoors.- History :Once considered a winter novelty associated with winter festivals throughout the northern United States and Canada, ice bowling is slowly growing into a more established sport in areas...
, or even snowshoe
Snowshoe
A snowshoe is footwear for walking over the snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation"....
softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
matches. Others focus on Alaska Native culture, such as the Multi-Tribal Gathering and Native Arts and Crafts Show.
Pins
Since 1939, promotional pinPin
A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together.Pin may also refer to:* Award pin, a small piece of metal or plastic with a pin attached given as an award for some achievement...
s have been created and sold each year to raise money for the event. These pins have become popular collectibles, and older or rare pins can sell for in excess of $100. The Anchorage University Kiwanis Club sell pins and booster buttons dressed as Keystone Cops for the duration of the festival. During the parade the Keystone Cops playfully detain people, often children, to a mobile jail until pins are purchased in exchange for their release.